Experiences of a 1st time backpacker

May 26, 2016June 2, 2016

Tropical sunset and crab racing at Blue Lagoon

So only snorkeling for about 30mins due to the mask and it getting cold as the sun start setting, I dry off wrapped in the luxury thick towel they provide and just enjoy the sunset. Being such a clear day the sunset is pretty amazing and lasts for ages making the whole sky look pink and purple. It looks so nice with the silhouettes of the palm trees and waves crashing in.

By the time it is nearly set, the staff are setting up all the premium dinner tables with the the lobster meals and sunset view that is a perfect honeymoon thing to do. They also get ready for their usual 6pm Kava ceremony and singing, but as I still need to dry off, shower and change I miss the Kava for the night.

Getting out about 7pm in the end, I have a few drinks with Matt the police chief from earlier and share his table for dinner, which tonight I indulge in a steak – something I definitely don’t have much of as a backpacker so goes done well. After dinner everyone starts socialising a little bit more and they put on international crab racing. How it works is there is a crab for every country and people have to bet money on which one they think will win – just one person for every crab. The crabs have famous sport names related to each country. Once all the bidding as stopped and it gets pretty competitive towards the end with the first crab bid being only $10 vs the last being $35. before it starts the person with the crab has to sing the national anthem they have picked and then the race can start. So whatever crab is first out of the circle wins and the top 3 pay out a share of the bidding money, so for the winner it is a win of $95 not too bad. Matt who I have been talking to put a bid on for US and just missed out on 3rd with it coming in 4th. It ends up being an English guy who wins the money for the Fijian crab and it is quite amusing watching the crabs racing about poor little guys.

After the crab racing a lot of people head to bed, so in traditional Fiji style it is a fairly early night, which I don’t mind as up early for a cave trip and tired from the travelling and sun. Being on these really relaxed islands makes you very tired by the end of the day.